Any international rugby forwards out there at a loose end? There's a job in a sunny city in the south of France waiting for you. You need international experience, but the good news is, you don't have to be a man to apply . . . though it helps.
Castres Olympique, one of the top clubs in France, have been advertising in the local job centre for a player capable of playing back-row forward for the first team. They are looking for a "rugbyman/rugbywoman" (yes, like that, in English) with international experience through their regional ANPE office.
They're promising a monthly salary of 6,000-8000, a 35-hour week, 24-month contract, In return, they want two years' experience as a professional player. Under "Competence Particulieres", or specific abilities, they list simply "rugby".
Castres Olympique are one of the big five clubs in the region, along with Biarritz, Perpignan, Toulouse and Agen, all of which have qualified for next year's Heineken European Cup. The successful candidate will live in the small but lively regional city of Castres, one hour from the Med and easily accessible from Dublin via Toulouse and Carcassonne airports. Sadly, he would not benefit from free trips to Ireland this and next year in the first round of the 2006/2007 Heineken Cup, since Castres are in pool one with Treviso, Perpignan and London Wasps.
Patrick Alran, managing director of Castres Olympique, explains that the advert is the club's way of concurring with French immigration law, which says that before you enter into negotiations with any player from outside France you have to put out the word within the country. And although Castres cannot think of any woman they might employ, the law also requires them to open the position to women as well as men. Since the closing date for applications for this job is July 3rd it seems, Alran confirms, unlikely to lead anywhere this time. They have someone definitely in mind for the post - he's not mentioning names. Any players still interested have just time to send a CV and letter of application stating the number of the offer (that's 052972W, by the way) to ALE, Castres- Mazamet, Maison de l'Emploi et Formation - 7 place de l'Albinque, 81115 Castres CEDEX BP 602, or email ale.castres-at-anpe.fr.
